Archived Fishing Report

Dave Stewart's Fishing Report

Written by Dave Stewart |
Originally published 11/10/2005

Kentucky Lake: Water Level at Ky Dam - 355.42 Surface Temperature - 62
Lake Barkley: Water Level at Barkley Dam - 355.20 Surface Temperature - 62
Both lakes are slightly over one foot above winter pool. We had more record breaking warm weather this week accompanied by some high winds which has kept the water temperatures up in the low 60's.
A cooling period is in the forecast so we should see the water temps drop slightly over the next few days. As reported last week the fishing is still feast of famine depending on which side of the latest cold front you are fishing on. Some very good days are being reported and some slow days are being reported.
One thing is for sure, the fall bite is on and there is still plenty of fall fishing left to be done. This time of fall is a great time to be on the lakes with very few pleasure boaters and not nearly as many anglers....reminds me of why I like hunting season so much and I don't even hunt.
The Largemouth Bass are being taken primarily in the bays. Some fish are being taken on humps and creek channel ledges but the primary pattern is on the secondary points and flats as the Largemouth are feeding on the schools of baitfish. The deeper fish are being taken on Carolina rigged small creature baits and tubes.
The fish on the secondary points are being taken on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, tube jigs and jignpig. The shallow fish are being taken on lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits and tube jigs. There has been a few reports of a topwater bite also.
The Smallmouth Bass are being taken on main lake points and front secondary points in the bays. These fish are being taken on crankbaits, tube jigs and jignpig. Some Smallmouth are being taken early and late in the day on the flats in the bays on lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
Some of the productive lures reported this week are: Lucky Craft sammy in american shad, Rebel Pop R in black/chrome, Bandit crankbaits in craw/chartruese and white, S&S rattletraps in threadfin shad pattern, Hook Some Bass spinnerbaits in blue glimmer, Hook Some Bass tubes in chameleon craw and green pumpkin and Zoom baby brush hogs in watermelon/candy.
The Crappie are active and being taken in the bays along the creek channels over deep brush piles and also around shallow wood cover. The deeper fish are being taken by vertically fishing with small jigs and minnow/jig combinations. The shallow fish are being taken by casting curly tail jigs and roadrunners near shallow brush piles.
The White Bass are feeding in the bays on schools of baitfish on the flats. These fish are being taken by casting inline spinners around the schools of baitfish.
The Channel Catfish are being taken in the bays along the creek channels on bottom bouncing rigs baited with shrimp and yellowtail. Jug fishermen are also doing well on the flats using the same baits.

More Kentucky Lake Fishing Reports

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If you've dug this deep in our Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley
fishing reports, you are probably just itching to come down and
visit the South's biggest lakes. Get started by finding
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or a Lake Barkley
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Don't have a boat? No worries! Bank fishing is
always an option for panfish. But if you're heart is set on
largemouth or smallmouth, you can
rent a
fishing boat at many of our local
resorts!

Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, and Land Between The Lakes offer a unique vacation experience for everyone! Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley collectively is the largest body of water between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Here you can enjoy fishing, boating, hunting, eating at great restaurants, and experiencing the numerous attractions of the Land Between The Lakes. The region is located just eight hours from Chicago, three hours from St. Louis and six hours west of the
Smoky Mountains.

Kentucky Lake Sunset

Photo by Shawn Dunnaway

Sunsets at Kentucky Lake are special. You can find them on the eastern banks of Kentucky Lake looking west across a mile of ripples and waves. There's nothing quite like experiencing a sunset on Kentucky Lake.